Gabriel Martinelli gave Arsenal something Alexis Sánchez never could

The term 'legend' is thrown around a lot these days, but there is certainly a case to be made for Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal. At least, there is more of a case to be made than for Alexis Sánchez.

We are not going to compare Alexis and Martinelli as players. That would be nonsensical; Alexis was clearly a better player than Martinelli was for Arsenal.

However, to be considered a club 'legend' is more than just ability. In fact, ability is one of the least important metrics to gain such a status. Sol Campbell is one of Tottenham's best players of all-time, but is he a Tottenham legend? Hilariously, he's far from it. We all know why.

Alexis Sánchez said it, Gabriel Martinelli lived it

Unlike Alexis, Martinelli meant it when he said he loves Arsenal. Alexis praises Arsenal in public, but he is speaking in hindsight, and he is speaking despite his actions. When Martinelli says it, he is speaking because of his actions.

Alexis left Arsenal at the first opportunity he could. He left the club in a worse position than when he joined and regretted it straight away. Fine, Arsenal fans have forgiven him for it, but it can't be forgotten about when we are talking about club legend status.

Martinelli, on the other hand, stuck with Arsenal at every opportunity he could. If it were down to him, he wouldn't be leaving Arsenal right now. He stuck with the club through the hard times, and it is for this reason that he can proudly boast of being a Premier League champion.

Martinelli leaves Arsenal as an Arsenal fan, but the key difference between him and Alexis is that Martinelli was an Arsenal fan while wearing the shirt. It took Alexis leaving for him to realise how much he loves Arsenal.

See, to Martinelli, the grass was not greener on the other side. He didn't need to turn his back on the Arsenal fanbase to realise his love for the club.

Gabriel Martinelli absolutely hit his potential at Arsenal

We need to make one thing abundantly clear, too. There is a lot of rhetoric around Martinelli not fulfilling his potential at Arsenal; those conversations are understandable, but they are also emotion-led.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing. Martinelli was a £6 million signing from Ituano. That really should be the end of this sentence; it speaks loudly enough.

Who said that Martinelli would spend seven years at Arsenal, put in more Premier League appearances than Robert Pires, and leave as a Premier League winner? Nobody.

Nobody who says Martinelli didn't live up to his potential at Arsenal would have bet on Martinelli to reach this stage of his career back then. If you made such a prediction, you would have been laughed at.

Ian Wright put it brilliantly when he asked Eberechi Eze, "Do you want the Arsenal?" At the end of the day, when all is said and done, this matters far more than ability. Ability is a nice bonus, sure, but it means nothing compared to a genuine love and respect for the club

Gabriel Martinelli, these streets are your own.

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